Flexible shaft.



No. 817,283. PATENTED APR. 10, 1906.

J. K. STEWART. FLEXIBLE SHAFT.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT, 30; 1905.

' thereof.

This invention relates to flexible eliciting,

.lUlll-l K. ElllEWAll", Uh lll-lllhllll), llIil'JllllOlbl.

fipeciilcstion of Letters Pstent.

Patented. April M3, 1906.

ltppliucticn filed October 30, 1905- Eleriel l lo 284.973.

To all whom, it in/my concern:

Be it known thst l, Jenn ll. STEWART, e citizen of the United Eltetes, residing at Chicage, in the county of Uoolr end State of Illinois, have invented new rind useful [In rovements in Flexible Elhrrfts, of which the ollow-- ing is e speoificstion, reference being bad to the accompanying;

the purposeol the invention being to provide fle rible sh especially adopted for both light and heety Work end edn pted to be used in connection with on outer casing, the shell, being composed oi? linl" having it jointed connection with. eecli other and provided With o'llset lJGIiIl'lll'li-tlia struclr ootWord, forming bosses which protrude beyond the edjscent joint end hove their outer surfaces rounded to form beeririg-shoulders which are edepted to cooper-site with. the outer casing by which the linlts ere inclosed.

in the ecconu isnying drawings, Figure l o plent "view of s portion. ol e flexible shelt, showing theusunl outer c 1;); and e portion of the sheftprojecting therelrom. Fig. 2 is s,

longitudinal section st the line 2 on Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is e transverse section ct the line 3 8 on Fig. 1. Fig. l is c section st the line l l on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the pivot-- block;

gmetsl ol suitable gage or thickness, according to the worlr to be performed. Sold strip of which the linlr member is formed comprises e central body portion 2 end oppositelyer-- rsl'iged oi'iset terminals joined with the body by tne troneverselysixtending shoulder 3 and terminating in e directly longitudinsl end ortion 4. ln other Words, each link room-- er 1 is bent outward st the point 5 to form the transverse shoulder 23 end e-gein bent at the point 6 to form the longitudinal end portion or extremity 4-. This bonding is performed in a suitable press between suitable dies, and in the process of bending; up the ten minsls of the link members that portion cl each terminal ndjeccnt to the bend e is struck outward to form n boss 7, which is concevo-convex in both longitudinal end transverse section, as shown in Figs. 2 and b,

'drewings, forming pert thus importing to the outer snrl'sce of the boss cont ity both tronsversclyend longittt dinelly oi the lint; member. "The linlz morn--- bers have their body portions brought together end riveted or otluirwisc fastened so curely end rigidly, as shown at 8. Any mun-- her of linlrs lorined in the inenrn-rr shove do" scribed may be used in the consln tuition o'lo flexible shalt, eccording to the length out shell; required. The linlets lllll) e iointcd connection at their edjncen tenlrelnitics, end

seid jointed connection shown as consisting oi o. pivot-blocks, her ing projecting pintles or journals l 0, oxtcndin outward therefrom at four points equidistzult from eoch other, the end portions l being; provided with open-- ings to receive snid pintles or iocrnels, clearly illustrated in the drewings. .Frny suitable form of pivotdnloclr may be used for connecting: the links to give the necessary universel joint Without departing lrorn the principle of this invention, which resides in the link itself end the rnnnnor lll which sslul' link. as a Whole is formed. it will be observed that the ol'l'set portion of eooh link member provided with e boss which protrodes beyond the body of the link and forms a guard for the extremities of the link-tenninsls end that the outer surface of seid boss is rounded or curved in longitudinal end trsns- Verse section, thus doing ewe-y With all abrujot angles which might nbrede the inclos ing' casing end increese 'llllllllflll, since said projecting bosses thus form. rounded beeringshoulders which are adopted to move in contact with the outer seeing, the ordinnry form of which is illustrstelil in Fig. it, it being un derstood that nny usuel or preferred form or construction o'l outer casing rnoy be utilized in connection with the flexible-elicit structure hereinebove perticulerly described.

The llfiltilillt; shodt of this invention is pen ticulerly ednpted for heavy work, it being notedthet the links may be made ofeny desired size and strength, according to the Work. required ol the completed shalt In case of injury to the shaft, as by the breakage of one of the link members, such brolren link member may be disconnected from its colnple mental member and replaced by it new mem her Without the aid oi spec-lei tools.

l. A flexible slurlt comprising forked links nod intertoning; pimb-bloclrs to which the links are 'iivoted on lines transverse to each other, coo-l1 link being composed of twin members extending side by side and having outi the fcrkifor that end, each such fcrk member Werdly-cffset terminals, each of which has an having an outwardlyccnvex boss prctruding outwardly-convex boss protruding laterally gbeyond the pivot. beyond the body of the link. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 2. A flexible shaft comprisingforkedlinks my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day i 5 and intervening pivot-blocks to which the of October, 1905. forks of the links are pivoted, on lines trans- J. K. STEl-Wiiil.

verse to each other, each link comprising 'Witneeses: twin members secured together, and eacn 4 HAS. S. BURTON,

10 member having at each erid one member of l M. GERTRUDE Am; I 

